


it's fine

by literatiruinedme



Series: I'll be the one [3]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Meandering days, Mother's Day, Omg they were quarantined, Quarantine, Recreational Drug Use, facemasks, facetime hangs, facetiming in the time of the apocalypse, there's a cat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23240818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literatiruinedme/pseuds/literatiruinedme
Summary: Hand washing, self-care, and some time with loved ones (even if they’re saying hello via Facetime).set in theI'll be the oneuniverse, not necessary to read one to enjoy the othera collection of drabbles.
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Josie McCoy, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Jellybean Jones/Original female character(s) (Background)
Series: I'll be the one [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779772
Comments: 56
Kudos: 92
Collections: 7th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees, 8th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	1. March.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set about 14 months after the first chapter of ibto, so there are some ‘spoilers.’ if you haven’t read ibto feel free to join the panic party, this is just me being stressed~ and having headcanons about the characters in my own universe lmao
> 
> HOWEVER, I hope you enjoy the introduction of the light of my life, Basilisk Cooper-Jones, the best little kitty to ever ((not really)) exist!
> 
> and the [mood board](https://i.imgur.com/TsZpWdr.jpg)

“Jughead?”

“Yeah?” he murmured over the loud spray of the faucet. 

“Can you bring me a glass of water on your way over?”

He paused his incessant scrubbing under his nails before nodding. “Yeah.”

“Thank you.”

He hummed, picking the soap up again. His hands were as clean as they were going to get, Jughead understood that, but he couldn't fight back the urge to use more soap, hotter water, count to thirty, then maybe forty, or fifty-

Jughead dropped the bar of soap with a hiss, frowning when he spotted a new scratch along the back of his palm, probably from his nails. He took a steadying breath in and out, setting the bar down again before he rinsed his hands under the steaming hot water. “Ouch,” he whined after seizing his hands back to dry them with a clean dishrag.

“Baby, you're bleeding.”

Jughead jumped, nearly throwing the dishrag in surprise as he turned his back to the sink. He gripped the edge of the sink a little too hard, soon getting inside his own head, unvalidated thoughts of the stupid COVID-19 virus on pretty much every surface in his house- apart from the bar of soap sitting in the sink, of course.

He should wash his hands again.

“Hey.” Betty rested her hands on his wrists, the slow drag of her thumb back and forth along his pulse point helping to drive his anxieties away. “Calm down.”

He didn't speak.

“We sanitized this morning.”

He nodded.

“And we just took a shower not too long ago.”

Jughead let out a steadying breath before nodding once more. “I know.”

Betty smiled up at him. “Would you feel better if we got into bed?”

Suddenly, any tension dropped from Jughead's shoulders at the idea of being locked away in the safety of their bedroom. “That sounds like a good plan.”

Betty smiled, pushing up on the tips of her toes to peck his lips. After pulling away, she reached out to grab a paper towel from the holder by the sink.

“No, we're running low-”

“We definitely are not,” Betty said with a shake of her head. “There's a bunch in the closet and you always keep extras of the big stuff in the shed. Now, let me see your hand.”

Jughead sighed before holding his hand out to Betty.

She frowned at the scratch, gently touching the skin around it. “I can't tell if that's dry skin or if your nails are too sharp.” She held his hands out, carefully cataloguing each of his fingers. 

Jughead ignored the part of his brain telling him to hide- she was only looking at his hands, after all -and even if she were looking for more, she had already seen every inch of him.

Betty gasped before glancing up at Jughead, a bright smile on her face.

He smiled softly at her, leaning down to kiss her lips before speaking again. “What do you want?”

“Self-care day.” She bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet.

Jughead nodded, resting his free hand on her shoulder. “Do we have an actual agenda or just see what we can find and go off?”

“That one.”

Jughead chuckled, rolling his eyes before leaning forward to peck her forehead. “Go see what we have and I’ll meet you upstairs.”

Betty nodded, kissing him again before stepping back. “You have snack detail?”

He gasped melodramatically, holding his hand to his chest in mock surprise. “Did you just question my position as Captain of Snacks?”

Betty fought back giggles as she held his gaze. “I could never.”

He hummed, not totally convinced as he grabbed the gold-painted tray on the counter as she wandered upstairs. “I’ll be up in a few minutes.” 

“Okay!”

Jughead started removing the dirty plates they left after staying up late the night before, eating ice cream and popcorn as they jockeyed between the news and literally anything else they could find. He set everything down in the sink, soaking it with water before turning to fill the breakfast tray with snacks for him and Betty.

There was time for cleaning dishes tomorrow; he needed to lay down with Betty more than anything.

Jughead checked to see that the front and back door were locked as he walked towards the stairs, climbing up to the room he and Betty shared.

“Snacks,” she said excitedly as he entered, holding her hands out for the breakfast tray.

“Snacks,” Jughead echoed as he plopped down on the bed beside her. He set the tray down on the soft floral comforter, holding his hands out to her when she set her upturned hands on her knees. “What’s up?”

Betty took one of his hands in both of hers before massaging moisturizer into his dry skin. “This needs to happen before anything else.”

Jughead chuckled, relaxing as her thumbs kneaded into his joints and muscles. He hummed happily, staring down at their hands until she rested his hand on her thigh while she got more of the lavender-scented lotion she rubbed into his dominant hand.

“Give me,” she ordered, smiling when he offered his other hand to her.

“Boss lady,” he murmured, smiling when she rolled her eyes. “What’s on the agenda today?”

“So, we don’t really have a lot, now that it’s just you and me in the house-” Betty squeezed his hand before laying it down in her lap. “But I found some bottles of different kinds of face masks. There’s also some different bottles of cleansers and stuff that I forgot I had, but that isn’t as much fun as a face mask.”

Jughead smiled at her rambling, waiting until she finished before leaning forward to kiss her lips. “Face masks have my vote. We can sort through random bottles when we’ve watched everything on Netflix.”

Betty grinned, handing him two bottles.

One was blue, advertising a chalky facemask and the other, green, promising for a jelly-like facemask.

“Blue for you, green for me?” he asked, smiling when she nodded excitedly.

Jughead nodded, shaking the tube before squeezing a small amount into his hands.

“What’d you bring for snacks?” Betty asked, chortling when he began smearing the blue substance over her cheeks.

“I brought M&Ms and pizza bagels-” He smoothed some of the paste over her forehead, slowly becoming more gentle as he grew focused. “There’s some chips, some Zebra Cakes-” He grinned when Betty gasped excitedly. “I know,” he hummed. “I also have some Twizzlers, if you want them.”

“You’re the best person to be quarantined with.”

Jughead chuckled, leaning forward to peck the tip of her nose before smearing the last of the facemask over it. “You’re ready for your Smurfette audition now.”

Betty chuckled, looking up at him with a smile on her face. As Jughead wiped his hands on a soft blue hand towel, she uncapped the green facemask. “Are you ready to be transformed into a table from an elementary school art classroom?”

His brows furrowed in confusion.

“You know,” she said. “Because you can peel the squishy ones off. Did you ever peel glue off of the table in elementary school?”

“What?”

“Don’t look at me like I’m weird, that shit was so satisfying. Like when you peel a piece of tape off of the counter at work?”

Jughead smiled as he leaned forward to kiss her lips. “You’re cute.”

Betty rolled her eyes before pushing him back with splayed fingers to his chest. “Whatever, Romeo.”

He smiled, watching as she uncapped the squeeze bottle. After squeezing a small amount onto her fingertips, she mixed them together to warm it up.

Betty smiled up at him as she began spreading the cool gel over his cheeks. “Hey, Jug?”

He hummed in acknowledgement as his eyes slipped closed. 

She sighed, after a moment of quiet. “I don’t think anything is going to happen tomorrow, but we should probably get the last of what we need from the store before we're actually not allowed to leave.”

“I agree.”

Betty hummed softly. “You can stay home-”

“I’ll go with you,” he said, smiling happily as her fingers trailed along his forehead. He finally opened his eyes, earning a soft smile from her when their gaze met. “I need to go through my office and make sure I didn’t leave any paperwork behind.”

“Can I browse the books?” she asked excitedly.

Jughead nodded. If they couldn’t get coffee from the grind. for the foreseeable future, being well-stocked on books was absolutely necessary- especially when they had no idea how long the uncertainty they were dancing around would last for.

After a few more moments of comfortable silence, Betty sat back on the bed. “Oh my god,” she laughed as much as she could with the now powder blue facemask drying to her face.

“What?” Jughead asked, shivering as her warm fingers backed away from his face, leaving him and the strange, squishy jelly to the cool air of his room.

“You’re positively  _ green _ .”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry, at least I’m not as  _ blue _ as you.”

Betty pointed over to the nightstand where Snowl, Jughead's green snake bowl, was perched atop the growing stack of books on his nightstand. “Could I offer you some of the green I packed while you were downstairs?” she tempted, smiling when he nodded excitedly. 

“You're amazing,” Jughead murmured before sparking the bowl. He inhaled one more time before passing it off to her. “Cherried.”

She quickly grabbed the bowl, taking a handful of hits as they laid down together, each focusing on their own memes until one of them found something funny enough to share.

“Did you see The Onion's post about saving spare tests in case John Duhamel needed one?”

“They're talking about how easy it is for everyone in Hollywood to get a test right now, right?”

“Yeah.”

Betty shook her head, not looking up from the article she was reading. “I would die for him.”

Jughead laughed, carefully maneuvering to peck her lips. He smiled at the happy look in her eyes when she glanced over at him. “You're something else.”

Betty giggled, nudging him with her elbow as she turned back to her phone. She gasped excitedly when her phone started to ring. “Tracy’s Facetiming.” The phone chirped as Betty accepted the call. She laughed loudly when she saw the pink jelly mask on Tracy’s face.

“Twins!” Tracy yelled excitedly. “Did you also end up forcing a Jones into participating?”

“Yes,” Jughead answered weakly, tilting his head into the frame. He plucked a pizza bagel off of the breakfast tray, encouraging Betty to snack along with him as they Facetimed.

Betty grinned as she turned the camera to face Jughead.

He smiled at JB’s blonde-haired, blue-eyed girlfriend. “How’s the apartment?”

“Lacking in snacks,” JB said from off-camera.

Tracy tilted the screen, giggling when JB glared at her, a pink, chalky mask on her face. “Take it,” Tracy whispered.

JB sighed, reaching out for the phone before lounging back against the pink floral sheets Betty and Tracy had fallen in love with while the four of them went shopping together for new things for the new apartment. “What’s up, loser?”

Jughead shrugged, accepting the phone from Betty.

“How many times did you wash your hands today?”

“Fuck off.”

JB laughed, looking over at Tracy before smiling softly at the phone. “Not to do a one-eighty here, but you know you’re going to be fine, right?”

Jughead shrugged.

“Dude,” JB said sternly, a very serious look on her face. “You had a  _ daily _ cleaning schedule my entire childhood and while it definitely wasn't anything crazy, I don't think anyone is a worthy challenger to you with a can of Lysol.  _ Especially _ during flu season.” 

Jughead nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“When am I  _ wrong _ ?”

“Aren’t you an adult already?” he asked with a roll of his eyes. “Why are you still such a smart ass?”

“One more year as a teen,  _ baby _ ,” she teased, laughing when Jughead groaned. “Do you want to see Hot Dog?”

Jughead nodded excitedly.

“How are he and Spaghetti-O getting along?” Betty asked as she inched closer into the frame.

“They should have been named Bonnie and Clyde,” JB huffed as she flipped the camera. 

Spaghetti-O was a small, chestnut beagle-spaniel rescue that JB and Tracy had adopted before moving in together two months prior. She yipped from off-screen, appearing only to sniff the phone at the sound of Jughead’s voice before curling up under JB’s arm.

“Hey, that’s my spot,” Tracy huffed, scooping Spaghetti-O up before they both cuddled into the space freed up.

JB giggled as she flipped the camera towards the bedroom door before whistling sharply. “Hot Dog!”

“My  _ son _ .” Jughead listened as Hot Dog’s nails clicked along the floor. “I miss  _ him _ .”

Hot Dog popped into the frame, eliciting a cheer from Jughead. Hot Dog stopped, head cocking to the side as he walked closer.

“There he is!”

Betty chuckled, resting her head on Jughead’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry for taking him right before this all got crazy,” JB said on the other line. “We can initiate some form of a drop off if you want.”

Jughead shook his head. “It’s okay.” He sighed heavily. “It’s better to stay put right now.”

Hot Dog jumped onto the bed, walking over to lay down beside JB.

The camera flipped back to show JB, Tracy, Hot Dog, and Spaghetti-O all cuddled together under the blankets.

“Are you sure?” JB asked.

Jughead smiled as he shook his head; Hot Dog was definitely not a guard dog, but knowing he was with JB during whatever state they were about to go into was somewhat comforting, especially since she wanted the independence of staying in her own apartment for the extent of the impending quarantine. “He hasn’t gotten to see you since you moved out, I’m sure he misses you.”

Betty leaned forward to peck Jughead’s lips. “I’m going to go wash this off.” She ran her hand up his arm, squeezing his shoulder before walking off to the bathroom.

“How’s Basil?”

Jughead shrugged his shoulders. “She’s hiding around here somewhere. She always comes to bed when it gets dark.” He glanced out the window, watching the sunset through a pair of sheer curtains.

After he and Betty had moved upstairs, they'd brought his light-blocking curtains up, but the soft yellow curtains with sunflowers embroidered in the sheer fabric remained closed most of the time, pulling in the florals from their sheets.

“You closed the store?”

“Yeah.” Jughead was quiet before glancing back at her phone. “Yesterday.” He sighed when JB offered him a weak smile. “Did you file for unemployment?” 

JB shook her head. “I will tomorrow.” She smiled when Hot Dog looked up at her, huffing as if in disbelief. “Okay, if you want to be annoying I can drop you off.”

Hot Dog put his head down, staring up at her.

“Good boy,” Jughead cooed, smiling when JB rolled her eyes.

“Hey,” Tracy said to JB.

JB turned to her with a brow raised. 

“We should probably-  _ get to bed _ ,” Tracy said, looking at JB a little too intensely.

JB grinned before turning back to her phone. “I’m suddenly very tired.”

Jughead hummed in acknowledgement, rolling his eyes. 

“Goodnight, Jug.”

“Sleep well, trouble makers.”

JB giggled as the call ended, leaving Jughead by himself, melancholy suddenly settling over him at the quiet.

He glanced up when Betty walked back into the room, taking a seat beside him on the bed.

A warm smile dawned her lips. “You-” She murmured, poking the tip of his nose. “Should wash your face.”

He nodded, pushing up on his forearms before taking a seat beside Betty. 

She combed her fingers through his hair, smiling when he hummed happily. “It’s getting late.”

Jughead nodded once more. 

“Are you starting to get ready for bed?”

“Yeah,” he murmured.

She hummed softly. “Are you sleepy?”

“When am I not?” Jughead huffed.

Betty hummed before leaning down to kiss the crown of his head. “Get up, moody.”

He nodded, pushing up to stand. 

Betty smiled, kissing his lips before walking over to her side of the bed. “I’ll be here when you’re done.”

He nodded.

“Brush your teeth!”

Jughead waved her off, walking out of their bedroom and into the hallway; he flicked on the light before walking into the bathroom, a very green version of himself staring back at him in the mirror. His nose scrunched in disgust as he began peeling the facemask away from his face, disposing of the scraps in the nearby trash can. He turned the faucet on when it was nearly gone, brushing his teeth as the water warmed. After the water had heated up, Jughead splashed some on his face, rubbing away any residue from the face mask. “Did you get more face cream?” Jughead shouted after drying his face with a hand towel.

“Yeah,” Betty called from their bedroom. “It’s under the sink.” 

Jughead hummed to himself as he pulled out the pink bottle of face cream. “Thank you!” He shook the bottle before squeezing a small amount into his hands and applying it to his face as he walked back to the bedroom.

Betty smiled when she looked up at him. “I opened the windows.”

Jughead glanced over at the half-open windows, smiling to himself at the warm spring air. He paused at the thought of how nice it was in spite of how sick people were getting.

“Hey,” Betty breathed, pulling back the blankets before holding her hand out to him. “Come here.”

He smiled weakly before walking forward, easily weaselling his way into her arms. “Thank you.” Jughead grinned when Betty held the dab pen up to his lips.

She knew him so well.

Jughead inhaled deeply before relaxing against the mattress, Betty’s arms wrapped around him from behind. “I’m glad you’re here.” He stayed quiet for a few moments, pulling her hand up to his lips for a soft, slow kiss. “I can’t imagine going through this alone.”

Betty pressed a kiss to the back of his neck. “We don’t have to worry about that.” She squeezed his hand as she inched closer, leaning her weight into him. “I’m here-” She yawned before kissing the back of his neck. “You’re here, we are going to be here for a while.”

Jughead hummed, closing his eyes as he threaded his fingers through hers. “We’re going to go stir crazy.”

She shrugged. “It’s fine, we never fight, so this will give us ample time to get through some shit while we’re confined to the house.”

Jughead blinked before glancing up at her. “Why are you trying to sell this to yourself?”

“Dude, I love you, and I know you hate people, but you go stir crazy on  _ snow days _ . Some states are essentially shut down for the remainder of this month and the next one; you’re going to lose it or write the next great American novel.”

He chuckled as he leaned up to peck her lips. “I love you, too.”

Betty smiled, kissing his cheek before leaning back.

Basil, Betty and Jughead’s midnight black cat, meowed from the other end of the room.

“ _ She _ ,” Betty breathed excitedly.

Basil padded over, meowing again when she cleared the foot of the bed.

Jughead chuckled, letting go of Betty’s hand as she leaned over him.

“Is that my baby?” she cooed as she leaned over the edge of the bed.

Basil meowed before leaping up on the bed, her gaze drifting from Betty to Jughead. Basil zeroed in on him before stalking closer.

“She's always so good with knowing when you're sad.” Betty sank back into bed behind him, yawning as she got comfortable.

Jughead was about to reply until Basil rested her paw on the bridge of his nose, the small patch of white on the top of her paw staring back at him. He sighed heavily despite how cute she looked, hovering over him. “She's a spitfire alright.”

Basil meowed before curling up directly under his chin.

Jughead sighed, awkwardly maneuvering the blankets until Basil was tucked underneath with him and Betty. He whined when Basil butted his chin with the top of her head. “I was cold,” he reasoned, earning a giggle from Betty. 

“Are you two disagreeing?” she teased, wrapping one arm around him from behind as the other snaked under his neck.

Basil purred happily as she laid over Betty's forearm, her head digging into his chin once more. 

“So easy to make my babies happy.” Betty kissed the back of his neck, inching closer as she took a slow, deep breath. She kissed the back of his neck before exhaling deeply. “Do you feel a little better?”

He nodded, but didn't elaborate any further.

Betty hummed, pressing gentle kisses to his shoulders. “Are you ready for bed?”

“We could take a nap,” he offered, smiling when Betty kissed the back of his ear.

“A little early evening nap sounds nice.”

Jughead smiled, sinking further into her embrace. “Not like we're going out anywhere.”

“No.” She pulled him closer. “It’s you and me, kitten.”

Basil purred as she rubbed her chin along Betty’s arm, making Betty and Jughead chuckle.

“Can’t forget our child,” he said, rubbing his hand down the length of the lithe feline’s spine.

Betty kissed the back of his neck again. “Close your eyes.”

Jughead sighed. “Okay.” He let his eyes slip shut as he relaxed into Betty’s embrace. “Okay,” he murmured again, calming as Betty’s fingers threaded through his. “I’m relaxing, don’t you worry.”

She chuckled before kissing the back of his neck again. “Sleep well, kitten.”

Jughead hummed softly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, angel.”


	2. Mother's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two surprises. The gang wishes mom a happy mother’s day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and the [mood board](https://imgur.com/QoaTlBM)
> 
> A day late (and super short) but it is what it is.
> 
> I know mother's day is hard for some people and I've said it before but I'll say it again; if you don't have a mom or you don't get along or whatever- I'm your mom, and I love you, and I'm here for you.  
> love, mom friend.

“Those girls probably drank so much wine growing up,” Jughead mumbled, funnelling a few chocolate chips into his mouth.

Betty hummed, curling closer as The Parent Trap drew to a close. She snuck a glance at the time on her phone as his hand rubbed up and down her arm.

His fingertip trailed along the apple of her cheek. “Do you have somewhere to be or are you just that intent on timing the movie?” he teased.

She smiled up at him. “Sorry, I'm waiting for a text.”

He hummed in acknowledgement, nodding his head. “What's up?”

“Alice needs some information for a form.”

Jughead kissed her temple as the credits finally rolled. “I'm going to go grab another water. Do you want anything?”

“No,” she hummed. “But I’m going to go change, I’ll be back down.”

He nodded, kissing her lips before wandering off to the kitchen.

Betty smiled sweetly before running upstairs. She placed a call to all of their friends, muting it before carefully creeping downstairs. After leaving the laptop halfway up the stairs, she walked into the kitchen, happy to see Jughead had returned to the living room. After making sure he hadn’t seen her, Betty wandered over to the oven, pulling out a chocolate frosted cake.

It had been easy enough to make: she had pretended to be exhausted the day before while he went on his daily rounds, dropping off and collecting books for his regular clients, his usual and _only_ weekday outing to keep some form of routine. After baking the cake, she had made brownies to cover for the smell of baking chocolate and he hadn't been the wiser.

Frosting at three in the morning had been a bit more challenging, but if Betty could do _anything_ , she could bake for Jughead.

Betty poked her head around the counter, grinning when he met her gaze. “Close your eyes.”

He sighed, reclining back against the couch. “I knew you were up to something,” he said smugly, one finger pointed in her direction as he grinned.

“Just shut up and close your eyes.”

“Okay,” he murmured sweetly.

Betty carefully set the cake in his lap.

“Can I-”

“Not yet.”

Jughead sighed out through his nose, nodding slowly/ “Okay,” he said quietly.

Betty kissed cheek before running off to grab the laptop; she wandered into the kitchen, holding a finger to her lips before unmuting the chat. “I'm taking you guys off of mute, just be quiet for a minute.”

“Did you get the cake?” JB whispered.

“We're testing his ability to follow instructions,” Betty teased before walking towards the living room again. “Your eyes are closed?”

“I am the best boy,” Jughead announced sarcastically. 

Betty smiled, walking back into the living room, taking a seat beside him before setting the laptop up on the coffee table. “Okay,” she breathed, smiling up at him as she curled closer, both of her arms wrapped around one of his. “Open.”

Jughead slowly opened one eye, his mouth falling open before he looked down at the chocolate frosted cake in his lap. Pink frosting spelled out _Happy Mother's Day_. “What-”

“Loser,” JB yelled from the computer screen, making his head snap up. “Happy Mother's Day.”

He watched in shock as each of their friends yelled surprise after her. “Wait,” he murmured, looking down at the cake, back at the screen, and then at Betty. “What?”

“Well,” she murmured, squeezing his arm. “You _are_ everyone's mom.”

He laughed, looking down at the cake and then back at his friends. “You _guys_.”

“You’re better than the rest of our mom's,” Toni said, drawing a laugh from the rest of the chat. 

“We love our parents,” Sweet Pea chimed in, earning laughter from Kevin and Fangs in the room beside him.

Betty smiled, kissing Jughead's cheek before she reached out to swipe a little frosting on her fingertip. “Do you want a slice?”

Jughead nodded, chuckling when she wiped the frosting on his nose. “Hey!”

“It's _our_ cake.”

His face lit up before he glanced back at the cake. “Ha!” He looked at the camera. “I'm trapped with Betty Cooper's baking and you're not!”

“We know,” Archie groaned, the California sunshine beaming over the back of his and Josie's heads. “If I wasn't so jealous I'd ask you to stop sending me photos.”

“Betty, can you please mail us cookies?” Josie begged, pouting as she held her hands together. 

“Only if you mail us some of that sunshine,” Betty teased. 

“Would you like a bottle or a ziplock bag?”

Betty hummed in thought, tapping her chin. “Whichever’s more convenient.”

“Double chocolate, please,” Archie piped in.

Betty nodded, marking it down in her notes app before turning back to the computer. “Any other orders?”

Everyone chimed in at once.

Jughead sighed, wiping the frosting off of his nose before reaching out for the two forks in the pocket of Betty's flannel. “Will you judge me if I just dig in?”

She shrugged. “It's your cake.”

He smiled, leaning in to kiss her lips. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> barring an attack of the lazies, I should have the next chapter of Ibto out for Wednesday, but who's to say at this point.


	3. the mall.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and the [mood board](https://imgur.com/dnqw75F)

“You’re hovering, Grizz,” Betty murmured, not opening her eyes as Jughead sat down next to her towel.

He groaned, resting his head on her stomach, the little ponytail she had wrestled into his hair earlier in the day tickling her lower belly. “What are we doing?”

With a tired sigh, Betty opened her eyes as she reached out to run her fingers through his hair. “Getting some sun.”

Jughead hummed softly.

“Take off your shirt, angel.”

“Fine,” he murmured before sitting up to pull the black fabric of his shirt over his head. After balling the shirt up, he cupped the back of her neck as he slid it under her head.

Betty rested her hand against his chest when he attempted to lay back down. A smile found its way to her lips when he whined. “You need to put on sunblock.”

After attempting to pout his way out of it, Jughead took the container of sunscreen, covering up his milky skin. 

“Ears?”

Jughead rolled his eyes. 

“Hey, you got really crispy last weekend.”

“I know,” he mumbled, covering his ears and nose in a thin layer of sunblock. He paused, squeezing a small about of sunscreen onto his fingers before wiping it off on her nose. “Take that.”

“Bad,” Betty murmured, rubbing it in before holding her index finger out to him.

He hummed softly before leaning forward to kiss the pad of her finger. “It’s all the time inside.”

Betty hummed, resting her hand on his thigh as she relaxed against the black bath towel she had spread along the soft grass. “It’s okay. Summer’s coming.”

He sighed, turning her hand over to massage his thumbs into her palm. “I miss my snow.”

“I know you do, kitten.” She closed her fingers over his thumbs, smiling when he squeezed her hand.

He laid his head on her stomach again. “Betts?”

She hummed, freeing his hair before running her fingers through it. “Yes, little lion man?”

A content hum rumbled in the back of his throat as he relaxed beside her. “I need your help.”

Betty tilted her head to the side, looking at him under the edge of her sunglasses. “With what?”

“Well,” he said quietly. “I’m going to catalogue the whole store and put it on the website so I can drop books off. Like Doordash, but better.”

“You haven’t already?”

Jughead sighed, rolling his eyes. “I didn’t think about it. Everything’s on paper.”

“ _ Everything _ ?” 

He nodded. “The register is automatic, but that’s about it.”

“You are insane.”

“Hey, I inherited a papered system at eighteen; when and  _ why on Earth _ would I change that?”

Betty hummed in thought before nodding her head. “Alright, I get it.”

He nodded, tilting his head to kiss one of her ribs, drawing a shiver from her. “So, will you help?”

She nodded. “Anything you need.”

“Do you want to talk?” Jughead took one of her hands in both of his, bringing it to his lips before he grew more sombre. “Maybe about the mall?”

Betty's smile fell as she glanced away from him.

“Hey,” he took her chin in his hand, gingerly turning her head back towards him. “I'm not trying to upset you, I just can't field texts from Kevin the same way that you can right now.”

She nodded, leaning into his touch.

Jughead sighed, sitting up before he carefully pulled her into his lap. He tugged the towel over their heads as if they were children, blocking out the harsh sun rays. “You're thinking.”

She hummed. 

“Can I help you unpack whatever you're carrying?”

Betty sighed heavily, looking up at him through her lashes. “I don't want to go back.”

Jughead sat up straighter as he searched her face. A small smile found its way to his lips. “This’ll be good for you.”

Her brows furrowed. “You're telling me you'd be okay with a deadbeat girlfriend for the foreseeable future?”

“You are not a deadbeat,” he said firmly, kissing her brow before he rested his forehead against hers. “You help out at Ink; you literally just said you would help me catalogue the entire store.”

“But  _ barely _ \- and it's not like you have the hours to spare.”

“You would kill yourself as a housewife,” he teased, pecking her cheek when she let out a soft laugh. “You'll find something else. I absolutely understand not wanting to go back to the mall.”

“But-”

“Everything's fine financially. I don't want you miserable or sick.”

Betty smiled weakly. “ _ Jug _ .”

“Whatever the mall has planned is probably bullshit anyway,” he scoffed, glancing down at their laps. After a steadying breath, he met her gaze. “Can I confess something?”

Betty nodded. 

“Not to be extra or anything, and not that I have any say because it’s your life, but I'd honestly feel better if you didn't go back.”

She raised a brow. “Really?” 

He hummed in affirmation. “I've been worrying about it,” he admitted, his voice soft.

“Why are you worrying?”

Jughead scoffed in the way he did when he pretended not to care as much as he actually did. “I just think some big corporations won't have your best interests at heart. They want to turn a profit and they don't care about fallout.”

“Awe.” Betty smiled as she reached up to cup his cheek. “I love it when you talk down on capitalism.”

Jughead grinned, wetting his lips. “Yeah?”

She bit her lips as she nodded.

“Would you like to relocate?” He hummed happily when she gripped his shoulders, wordlessly pulling him closer. “I promise I’ll keep talking.”

“I think that you have a very persuasive argument there.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> life's about to imitate art L-O-L


	4. May.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> late-night baking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and the [mood board](https://imgur.com/3ICUUS4)

_ Butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt. _

_ Flour, baking soda, cocoa powder. _

_ Chocolate chips- _

“Betty, you need to stop.” Jughead’s voice cut through her whirring mind.

She looked up from the recipe card in her hands to see him standing before her, looking like an exhausted mess; in his defence, it was well past two in the morning.

After three months of living in fear of a virus neither could see, they were finally beginning to crack- even in the smallest ways.

Betty wet her lips before she spoke again. “Go back to bed, Jug.” She spun on a heel, walking towards the oven to preheat it.

He was quick to follow, flipping the dial back to its normal resting place before she turned to face him, letting anger show on her face.

“Jug.”

“Betty.”

She stared him down, ignoring her crumbling resolve as his fingers grazed their way up her arms, pulling her against him in a comforting hug. “Let me go.” Despite her words lacking any follow-through, she practically whispered them. After another moment of silence, she inched closer.

“Come back to bed.” He kept his words as quiet as hers, even as his grasp loosened, allowing her the opportunity to pull away should she want it. He pressed a gentle kiss to her brow. “Please,” he finished softly.

Betty closed her eyes when his palms settled on her hips; she leaned in to rest her forehead on his chest, focusing on his steady heartbeat.

One of his hands drifted up to cup the back of her neck, drawing a shiver from her when he slowly ran his thumb back and forth over one of the notches of her spine. “Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?”

She shook her head. 

Jughead hummed in acknowledgement, his other hand sliding over to the small of her back. “You looked like you were ready to bake for an army.”

She smiled to herself. “Just you.”

“Same difference.”

She chuckled, leaning into him as her exhaustion finally began to catch up with her. “I promise I'm okay, kitten.”

“I don't believe you-” He kissed the top of her head. “But there's no way I’ll get it out of you tonight, is there?”

Betty shook her head. 

“Okay,” he hummed, leaning in to kiss her brow. As he studied her face, his lips pursed in concentration. “This can’t last forever.” The thought rushed out like he'd been holding onto it for too long. 

He probably had.

Every day felt like an eternity with no set schedules.

“I know,” she whispered, nodding her head slowly before taking a step back. After turning to start putting supplies away, she stopped when his fingers found hers.

“Just leave it, Betts, we'll take care of it tomorrow.”

She quirked a brow. “We?” she asked, biting the inside of her cheek to hold back her smile when he rolled his eyes.

“What?” He laughed half-heartedly. “You think I'll wait until you fall asleep and sneak away to clean up or something?”

She smiled. “Is that not exactly what's going to happen?” Despite how dark the room was, the only light coming from the hood over the stove, she swore she saw his cheeks going pink. 

“ _ No. _ ” He tugged her off in the direction of their bedroom, eyes trained straight ahead.

“You're a terrible liar, Juggie.”

He glanced back at her for only a second before they started up the stairs. “You said you were fine at dinner, but who was in the kitchen about to make two dozen cookies after two, no less?”

“Touché.”

He turned to look at her when they reached the top of the stairs. “Are you sure that you don’t want to talk about it?”

“As talented as you are, you can’t fix the state of the world.” Betty sighed as they stopped at the top of the stairs, reaching out to rest her hands on his hips. “I promise-” She leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. “I'll be fine by morning.”

Jughead frowned, looking like he wanted to say something more, but he nodded his head. “Okay.” He pulled her in for another kiss. “But if it's still bothering you-” 

She interrupted him with a nod. “You'll be the first person to hear about it.” 

His features softened as he relaxed before her. “Okay,” he said again, resting his hands on her shoulders. 

She smiled, leaning up to kiss his lips. “Let's go to bed.”

“Okay,” he murmured, following her back into their room. “Little spoon?” he asked as they walked to their respective sides of the bed, letting go of her hand after sitting down on his side.

Betty shook her head before patting the middle of the bed. “On your back, angel.”

After shutting off the lamp on his bedside table, he obliged, smiling brightly when Betty curled into his side. He wrapped his arms around her, humming happily when she snuggled closer. “Close your eyes.”

“You first,” she mumbled sleepily, not bothering to check before closing her eyes.

Jughead chuckled, kissing the crown of her head. “I love you.”

Betty yawned, sinking into his warm and comforting embrace. “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, no update for ibto this week, but I didn't want to leave you guys without any of this universe for the week.
> 
> I love you all, keep washing your hands. <3


	5. a quiet night.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rewatching a favourite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and the [mood board](https://imgur.com/DsEAtaI)
> 
> Spoilers for 1x7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ((It came out in 1997, so idek if I necessarily need to tag my spoilers, but someone [glares lovingly but very specifically at stonerbughead] isn't there on their list yet, so I figured I'd mention it. If you haven't watched the show PLEASE LET ME MOTIVATE YOU TO WATCH IT, ITS MODERN ART!!!1!)) Okay I'm getting distracted.
> 
> Not related to any Buffy type au's I have cooking for you guys ;^)
> 
> Enjoy <3

“ _ I just wanted to see if you were okay... your mother, _ ” Angel said on screen, warm light shining down in the dimly lit Bronze nightclub. 

Jughead beamed, swooning over the quiet moment playing out between Buffy and Angel on the television set against the far wall of their room as he held his nearly finished bong in one hand, a tye-dyed Clipper lighter in the other. 

“ _ We're both good. You? _ ”

“ _ If I can go a little while without getting shot or stabbed, I'll be alright, _ ” Angel continued, laughing weakly before his tune changed. “ _ Look, this can't- _ “

“ _ Ever be anything, _ ” Buffy finished for him, disappointed even as she smiled. “ _ I know. For one thing, you're, like, two hundred and twenty-four years older than I am. _ ”

He laughed weakly. “ _ I just gotta- I gotta walk away from this. _ ” Angel didn't sound as if he believed his own words as he stared down at Buffy's lips, hypnotized.

Enthralled, Jughead leaned forward in anticipation.

After he had confessed that the episode was one of his favourites, Betty had genuinely tried to follow along despite knowing the story backwards and forwards herself, but her gaze kept wandering over to him. She normally adored his side comments and sneaking glances at the faces he made, but watching him watch something he adored as he did the episode  _ Angel _ was so open and vulnerable. “Oh my god,” Betty hummed happily, reaching her hand under the hem of his shirt to trail her fingertips along the small of his back. 

Seemingly without much thought, he leaned into her touch, half relaxed against his pillows. “What?” he mumbled, not looking away from the television as he brought the bong to his lips, sparking the lighter. 

“ _ I know, _ ” Buffy said. “ _ Me, too. _ ”

After exhaling, Jughead smiled slyly as Buffy and Angel stood stagnant, watching one another.

“ _ One of us has to go, here, _ ” Buffy continued. 

“ _ I know. _ ”

Jughead set the bong down, watching as Buffy and Angel  _ finally _ leaned into a longing kiss, the tension breaking to a tender Sophie Zalmani cover of  _ I'll Remember You _ . “I love their love,” he mumbled wistfully, the soft guitar progression filling the room with a warm melody.

“Yeah?” Betty asked, beaming at him.

He nodded after setting the bong down, smiling when she pulled him into her embrace. “I always loved Buffy when I was younger, but I ended up completely retconning their relationship from my memory by accident.” A happy sigh escaped him as Betty's fingers combed through his hair. “I was hooked after I rewatched it on Archie's Netflix account in-” He paused, thinking back. “My freshman year of high school, I think.” After a moment’s quiet, he groaned. “They're just so tragic and amazing.”

Betty smiled, watching Buffy and Angel complete their lingering small talk before parting. A smile found its way to her lips when she saw the imprint of Buffy's cross burned into Angel's chest. “It's like a Greek tragedy-” Betty quoted from one of the later episodes, smiling at Jughead's excited gasp as he glanced up at her, seemingly recognizing the reference. “If only they should be Greeks.”

He beamed up at her, holding his hand out, waiting for her to withdraw her own from his shirt before lacing their fingers together. “Thanks for rewatching it with me. Season one is grossly campy, but the dated stuff feels nostalgic, almost.”

“Way better than Angel the series,” she hummed, tapping the tip of his nose as she looked down at him.

“I'm blaming that solely on the early two-thousands,” he defended.

Betty shrugged her free shoulder. “Everyone has their favourites.”

Jughead hummed, relaxing against her as her arms encircled his shoulders. “Betty?” A yawn escaped him.

With a small smile, she kissed his temple. “Yes, kitten?”

“Can we watch another?”

She hummed happily, kissing his forehead before she spoke again. “Do you think you can make it through one more?”

“I'm awake,” he promised, eyes closed as he inched closer. 

Betty hummed in acknowledgement, a warm smile on her lips as she rubbed his shoulder with her free hand while starting the next episode. “Okay, Juggie.”

He hummed, his breathing slowing as he listened to the opening scene to an episode she loved solely for how awful it was. “Betts?”

“Yeah, Jug?”

“I love you,” he mumbled sleepily.

She grinned, brushing his hair back before kissing his forehead. “I love you, too.”

He made a noise of contentment, snuggling closer before he finally relaxed against her chest. “I can't believe you love this one,” he murmured slurringly.

“You love  _ Killed By Death _ ,” she sneered at his taste in shitty episodes. “Why are you throwing stones?”

Jughead shushed her, squeezing her side after his fingers weaselled under her sensitive ribs. Were he not basically dead weight, she would have stood a chance at moving him even an inch; instead, he just giggled sleepily when she nudged his ribs in return. Before quieting down, he kissed the hollow of her throat.

At the first of his gentle snoring, she reached out for the remote to turn off the television, too tired to focus on the screen. Betty pushed the remote off to his empty side of the bed, smiling when he pulled her closer in his sleep. The soft noises of the woods lining the back of the property floated in through the open window by their bed. After taking one final hit from the pen, she relaxed against the mattress.

Jughead's body was a comforting weight over hers while she matched her breathing to his, slowly drifting off into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope everyone is doing well. I really really love and appreciate you guys more than you know. <3
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!


	6. 2 October

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> @ Jughead Jones: birth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and the [mood board](https://i.imgur.com/wryUnmi.jpg)  
> A little something for our favourite emo’s birthday

“So,” Betty said, snuggling up to Jughead as she crawled into bed beside him.

After he quirked a brow, silently urging her on, she crawled into his lap, drawing a laugh from him. He carefully straightened the blankets around them before wrapping his arms around her, holding her close. “ _So_?” he echoed, smiling up at her.

Betty rolled her eyes before leaning for a gentle kiss. “So, I know you don’t like it and I wasn’t trying to make a big deal, _but_ it’s your birthday and it’s the first one we get to spend together and I want it to be as special as it can be given the-“ Her eyes slipped closed when Jughead’s lips pressed to hers, silencing her rambling as her body quickly relaxed above him. 

His hand had slid up to cup the back of her neck by the time he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers. “Calm for me.”

After a shaky breath in, she nodded. “I am.”

He hummed in acknowledgement, shifting to look up at her. A smile graced his lips when he looked down at her lips before leaning in to kiss her. “From the top, but maybe take your energy level from a six to a three?” His hands rubbed up and down her arms, making her melt further into his lap. “There’s no rush.”

“I know,” Betty breathed, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair, still damp from their shared shower.

She had been quiet all day, if only a little excitable, but had silently made sure it was the perfect birthday; they had gotten coffee from the grind. and a smorgasbord of diner food from The Carousel, spending the morning locked in his office while JB and Tracy took care of the showroom at Ink. After Sweet Pea had shown up for his closing shift, they had gone over to Gaku to pick up lunch before heading over to JB and Tracy’s new apartment, sitting out in the skinny sunroom spanning the front of their apartment to eat and smoke as they watched the rain pour outside. They had only returned home about an hour prior when Jughead had started yawning and rubbing his eyes.

“What’s on your mind?” Jughead asked before pressing a tender kiss to her lips. “You’ve been ready to burst all day.”

Betty giggled before leaning down to kiss him once more. “Today’s your birthday-“ She paused, raising a brow when he rolled his eyes. 

“Keep going,” he coaxed gently.

She smiled, teasingly pinching his cheek before continuing. “I know you don’t like your birthday, but it’s the first one we get to spend together and I just wanted it to be special.”

“It was,” he said softly. “I had coffee and blueberry pancakes and I got to spend time with you and the girls- _and_ it rained.” A sigh escaped him as he glanced down at her lips, his smile fading to a relaxed expression. “Today was perfect.”

Betty couldn’t help herself from bouncing in his lap. “ _Really_?” 

He nodded. “It was the perfect birthday,” he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her lips. “And those cupcakes you somehow managed to make? Fucking amazing.”

She beamed down at him. “And your gift?” She had gotten him a basket that was a perfect fit for beneath his nightstand, something he had been talking about needing for a while, as well as a variety of soaps, bath bombs, and a new bowl; the glass was tinted pink and the bowl itself had an intricate rose design along the bottom and he had kissed her like he had not in years afterwards, repeatedly muttering his thanks against her lips. 

“Betty, you are the queen of gift-giving, you know I absolutely adored everything.” He paused after a breath. “Which were too many things, by the way.”

She shook her head. “No way.”

“Betts-“

“I have to spoil you, kitty and your birthday is prime time for that.”

He sighed, nodding as a small smile graced his lips. “You know I don’t need anything but you, right?”

She nodded. 

“Okay,” he whispered, kissing her lips before carefully easing them to be horizontal, pulling the blankets up around her shoulders. “I love you,” he whispered warmly.

Betty smiled, leaning up to kiss his lips before resting her head on his shoulder, her arms and legs holding him tightly under the blankets. “I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> hi.
> 
> look, honestly, this is terrifying and i still am struggling to process it.
> 
> if you need anything my [askbox](literatiruinedme.tumblr.com/ask) is always open.


End file.
